The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction - WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

274 Hull Construction Methods
Figure 23-10 <strong>The</strong> 42' hull with the temporary mold removed.
<strong>The</strong> hull is supported by permanent bulkheads installed
during set-up. Note the clean interior in which work can
progress while exterior finishing is completed.
Figure 23-11 Launching the 42' yacht. <strong>The</strong> natural finish
highlights the final layer of veneer laid fore and aft.
down. It’s our experience that all sanding and coating
operations are much easier with the hull in this
position than when it’s upright. A good portion of the
interior can be easily installed in an upside-down hull,
as will be explained in more detail in Chapter 26. Just
as with mold method hulls, it is more efficient to do a
lot of exterior final finishing, including all fiberglassing,
coating, and sanding, before turning the boat over.
Rolling the Hull
Build a cradle, as described in Chapter 21, in preparation
for rolling. Unlike a molded hull, which you must
lift up and off the mold and then turn over, a strip
plank hull is simply pushed over, using mattresses and
tires covered with carpet to absorb the load. Begin
rolling by lifting one sheer upward, blocking the hull as
you go. When you have raised the sheer to about a 60°
angle, attach lines to it, some going in the direction in
which the hull will be rolled and some leading in the
opposite direction so that people holding them on both
sides of the hull can control it. Unless the boat is
unusually large, a few people can pull it over, while
others hanging onto the ropes on the opposite side
snub their lines around a post or heavy machinery to
slow the rate of fall until the hull sits gently on its
bottom. Set the cradle under the hull and level it
according to the waterlines so that you can complete
the interior and install the deck.
Strip Composite Construction
Until the late 1980s, the use of strip composite
construction had been limited to stripper canoes,
rowing shells, prams, and dinghies. More recently, it
has been used to build boats up to 50' (15m).
Strip composite construction has some very attractive
features. It is one of the fastest ways to build one-off
hulls. It produces a strong hull that can weigh less than
a laminated veneer hull (due to fewer glue lines). <strong>The</strong>
only disposables are the plywood or particle board
panels left over from the temporary mold stations.
Veneer spiling and fitting are unnecessary, and only
mold frames are used, so the method is very quick.
You can use lumber from your local dealer rather than
veneers, which can be hard to find. <strong>The</strong> technique
works well on compounded hulls and results in
very strong and stiff craft with little or no interior
framework.
<strong>The</strong> popularity of this method has fueled the development
of manufactured planking products. Speed
Strip Planking System is a tongue and groove style
planking made to order with the wood species of your
choice. If you decide to make your own planking,
cutters are available for machining the edges of